?Advice? regarding really early age balding

[Spiderman11]

-This is a letter i had sent to pat and he had advised me to post to the forum so i'm just curious for any kind of response to my problem

 

Hey Pat. I've been going through your forum and seems that your much involved and are aware of the different scenarios of hair loss, hair sucesses and what not. But I was curious and i myself had some questions that i was wondering you could answer.

My balding unfourtanetly started much earlier than most people. I think it was about 14, hard to believe but yes(or maybe not i'm not sure). I would remeber freshman year of high school and, their would be times where my friends would ask me after a hair cut "What happened ,did u have a bad experience with ur barber. He seemed to cut more on the top than on the sides" but in reality it was just the first signs of balding. And sadly by the time i got to freshman year of college (about 17) i've been requesting my barber to limit the amount of hair and top as to bascly do a comb over going forward. I'm 19 and i'm still in that state of covering and i'm Afraid i dont have much time left and it seems i mite be bald in a few years.

I was hopping you could give me some advice. I havent tried any products and sadly i think i'm the only person among my friends who know what Bosley and Hair club for men are. Anything would help. I'm hoping in a few years, after I finish college I can get a good paying job that i could afford some sort of treatment wether topical or surgical. For now its something i dont generally discuss. Well any response would be great and i kno this is a lengthy letter so i will stop here. Thanks again, hope to hear from you.

[Spiderman11]

-This is a letter i had sent to pat and he had advised me to post to the forum so i'm just curious for any kind of response to my problem

 

Hey Pat. I've been going through your forum and seems that your much involved and are aware of the different scenarios of hair loss, hair sucesses and what not. But I was curious and i myself had some questions that i was wondering you could answer.

My balding unfourtanetly started much earlier than most people. I think it was about 14, hard to believe but yes(or maybe not i'm not sure). I would remeber freshman year of high school and, their would be times where my friends would ask me after a hair cut "What happened ,did u have a bad experience with ur barber. He seemed to cut more on the top than on the sides" but in reality it was just the first signs of balding. And sadly by the time i got to freshman year of college (about 17) i've been requesting my barber to limit the amount of hair and top as to bascly do a comb over going forward. I'm 19 and i'm still in that state of covering and i'm Afraid i dont have much time left and it seems i mite be bald in a few years.

I was hopping you could give me some advice. I havent tried any products and sadly i think i'm the only person among my friends who know what Bosley and Hair club for men are. Anything would help. I'm hoping in a few years, after I finish college I can get a good paying job that i could afford some sort of treatment wether topical or surgical. For now its something i dont generally discuss. Well any response would be great and i kno this is a lengthy letter so i will stop here. Thanks again, hope to hear from you.

[hairbank]

Hello Spiderman11 and welcome to the forum,

 

Sorry to hear about your predicament. Hair loss sucks at any age but it sounds like you really got shafted.

 

Start by using the find feature on this site and searcing for threads about Propecia. It is the only thing "proven" to halt hair loss. Also, you may want to consider starting a healthy scalp regimen. I use Nizoral and Nioxin though there are others...........again, search prior threads as there is a wealth of information which will be useful to you.

 

If you're ever considering a hair transplant, I'd cross Bosley off your list right now. There are several recommended surgeons here (click on the Coalition Surgeons link on this page) who can provide you with some honest answers without just trying to "get you in the hair transplant chair".

 

You may want to try a concealer of sorts. There are many available, I would recommend Dermmatch to you (again, search for threads) but there are many others used by those here on the forum. There's a Shampoo's, Sprays and Concealer's folder on the site which should be helpful.

 

I hope this helps you. Be positive about your approach to try and save what hair you have and do everything you can. You can always consider a transplant if and when the time comes.

[the B spot]

Spidey, hang in there brother!!!! You know I lost my hair pretty early, as do many others, so you are not alone. The BEST advice I can give you at this point in your life is this:

IF you are that concerned about your appearance

If you cannot afford any type of continuous hairpiece treatments then.......

Shave it down to a #1 and go get a tan. Work out and believe me women will NOT be focusing on your head bro.... This I know.... Remember your 19, have fun, work out, tan up, and get laid... who knows you might even forget your bald

[Guest]

Try the new products out. Propecia, Rogain etc..etc...

[PCC]

Spiderman,

 

Your experience parrallels mine exactly. I too started losing my hair in high school. I remember all too well the snide comments/questions and odd looks. It hurt my feelings and made me even more self conscious. Needless to say trying to start dating was really fun. Then the elaborate combover routine with a brush and hairspray.

 

I second the advice that B-spot gave you. What is refreshing today is that it is much more socially acceptable to graciously live with one's balding or even shave your head.

 

Phil

[scooping around]

spiderman, others have given you great advice. I started dealing with issue quite early too in my early 20s, I'm now 26 and have shaved my head completly. The good thing about dealing with this is that, we can still pull off the "shaved head" look until you are ready for your surgery. I plan on getting my surgery within the next year. Just remember one thing, if you really are not comfortable with loosing hair, you can always use surgery as last option. For the time being look into propecia and other treaments. You are still young, try and have fun and get laid..hehe..

[PCC]

Scooping Around,

 

As I have said to another poster who adopted you approach, I both admire you and good naturedly envy you. I wish this option would have been more accepted when I began my hairloss journey back in the early 80's. Back then the "male ideal" was the puffy, feathered hairstyles popularized by the disco movement or the long, flowing locks of the legendary rock stars of that era.

 

What is amazing and inspiring to me is that something that really was not commonplace until maybe 10 years ago is now cool, sexy, tough, macho, and charismatic.Instead of feeling self conscious these men are confident, secure, and comfortable in all settings. I guess we can thank an enlightened group of pro atheletes and celebrities for that.

 

I also think age and the maturity that comes with the passage of time have a lot to do with it. I realize that the girls from my high school and college years who would not have given a balding guy the right time, today couldn't care less if their husbands are that way or shaved their heads completely.

 

Phil

[jackisback1]

Spiderman, dude, i'm going through the exact same shit as you. I just turned 20, and i got to say that the best option is to use Rogaine (generic for me) and Propecia. I'm definately not sure yet, but i MIGHT have stopped my hair loss. Right now I do the thing you do where i grow my hair out long in the front as a combover, and I can actually get it to grow all the way down to my eyes, and it looks really great. As long as there's absolutely no wind. That's the downfall--I feel so inhibited, and I have to wear a hat everywhere, and I've never been much of a hat person. But anyway dude, one trick that I may have discovered, actually to be honest I haven't tested this in the wind, so I don't know if it really works. But I'm going to try lifting my hair up in the front, and hairspraying it on the side that touches my forehead, then letting the hair down over the forehead down. This way it'll stay more still in the wind but it wont have that ridiculous hairspray look that my thin hair definately can't pull off. I'm gonna post another subj. hear to see if people think it's safe to spray right on the follicles, tho, so you might want to check that out before you try it.

 

Phil, yeah man I know what you mean, i've noticed that a LOT of guys in their 30s are having hair loss. Truth is I dont think I'd care if i were 30 and bald (not now anyway) because that looks natural, and not too out of place for a man of that age. But the idea of walking around as a 20 year old bald kid, isn't real appealing. I'd probly wonder if girls were looking at me because i'd pulled off the look, and still looked good or if they just hadn't seen anyone that young and that bald before. but yeah, that's just me being paranoid and insecure, and i get your point.